God of the Sea: Chinese Sea God Beliefs and Socio-Economic

Author: Wang Rongguo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: This book takes the belief in sea gods as its research subject to explore the study of Chinese maritime culture and the history of marine socio-economic. First, it constructs a genealogy of marine deities, which serves as the foundation for the book's analysis. Then, it examines the sea god beliefs of marine fishermen, merchants, and maritime migrant groups. Whether it is fishermen, merchants, or migrants, they all hold ceremonies to worship the sea before setting sail, praying for safety and prosperity at sea. The people on a ship form a (special maritime society), where shrines are set up to worship deities for prayers and offerings, seeking timely blessings from the gods. In fishing villages, merchant guilds, and migrant communities on land and islands, various marine social groups engage in deity worship, which strengthens internal cohesion and reinforces the collective spirit of maritime activities. The belief in deities among maritime societies varies by region and type of marine society, reflecting the regional characteristics of sea god worship and the different aspirations of each belief group. The utilitarian nature of their beliefs highlights the pragmatic rationality of Chinese maritime culture and even Chinese culture as a whole.